Artur Beterbiev

Dmitrii Bivol v Artur Beterbiev: Boxing preview and best bets for PPV undisputed light-heavyweight fight plus undercard tips on Sky Sports, TNT & DAZN

By Chris Oliver

15:52 · FRI October 11, 2024

Dmitrii Bivol faces Artur Beterbiev for the all the world light-heavyweight titles at on Saturday night so check out our boxing expert Chris Oliver's preview and best bets.

Boxing betting tips: Bivol v Beterbiev fight night

1pt Artur Beterbiev to win by stoppage at 7/4 (Bet365)

2pts Jai Opetaia to win in rounds 1-6 at 5/2 (Unibet)

1pt Fabio Wardley to win by stoppage at 9/5 (Paddy Power, Betfair)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

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Halloween may be just around the corner, but it feels more like Christmas for boxing fans as Dmitrii Bivol and Artur Beterbiev fight for all the marbles at light heavyweight on Saturday night.

It’s the latest blockbuster in Riyadh put on by Turki Alalshikh and this mouth-watering contest could be the best main event the Saudi kingmaker has staged so far.

This clash between the unbeaten Russians may not have the crossover appeal of a Tyson Fury versus Oleksandr Usyk fight, but most hardcore observers would have had this one top of their wish list for 2024.

Like all great contests, the fans are divided on the outcome and the bookies can barely split them, with Bivol edging favouritism at 10/11 and Beterbiev drifting slightly to a best price of 5/4. The winner will be the first undisputed 175lb champion in the four-belt era but forget the belts – this is just a great fight.

Bivol v Beterbiev: Big fight details and TV coverage

When and where: Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, October 12
Start time: Undercard 1900 BST, Main Event approx 2300 BST
TV channel and cost: TNT Sports & DAZN (both £19.99) plus Sky Sports Box Office (£19.95)
Belts: Bivol's WBA title and Beterbiev's IBF, WBC and WBO titles
Records: Bivol 22-0 (11 KOs), Beterbiev 20-0 (20 KOs)
Sky Bet odds: Bivol 4/5, Beterbiev 11/10

CLICK HERE to bet on the big fight with Sky Bet

Both men had outstanding amateur careers and are unbeaten in the paid ranks. They both won world titles early on and haven’t even looked close to losing so far. However, as impressive as Bivol’s perfect 23-fight CV is, it’s Beterbiev’s record of 20 knockouts in 20 contest that is the headline grabber.

Now based in Canada, Beterbiev owns the IBF, WBC and IBF titles thanks to signature wins against the unbeaten Oleksandr Gvozdyk (TKO10) and Joe Smith Jr (TKO2), while hard-punching Brits Anthony Yarde (TKO8) and Callum Smith (TKO7) haven’t been able to live with his power on his last two outings.

Bivol doesn’t have as many top-quality victims on his leger as Beterbiev, but he can boast the best win out of the pair with his unanimous decision victory over Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in May 2022.

The California-based 33-year-old was superb that night, as he outboxed the sport’s biggest star much more comfortably than the three scorecards of 115-113 would suggest. Admittedly, Canelo was the smaller man stepping up in weight, but it wasn’t size that beat him, it was Bivol’s brilliant footwork, superb jab and high punch output.

Boasting accurate hands as quick as his feet, Bivol is a real technician and a joy to watch when in full flow, largely thanks to his excellent range control through his dazzling footwork.

Many have described this as the bull versus the matador and while Bivol’s key to success will be to outmanoeuvre his opponent, Beterbiev is so much more than just a ‘bull’.

Beterbiev’s stunning record of stoppages often means the focus is on his undeniable power, but he is also a superb boxer, and you don’t win a gold medal at the world amateur championships (2009) without being so. His jab is equally as impressive as his opponent’s here and the way he applies constant pressure with his feet is hugely underrated.

Beterbiev carries his power from the first bell to the last and keeping out of harm’s way against that educated pressure for 36 minutes is a tough job. Bivol is going to have to taste that power at some point and how he reacts could well decide the outcome. We haven’t seen Bivol hurt but we haven’t seen him up against someone as good as Beterbiev, who is15/8 to claim yet another stoppage and it’s not hard to envisage that outcome.

However, it is also easy to see Bivol’s masterful ringcraft frustrating Beterbiev and racking up the rounds to take a big lead on the scorecards. He appears to have the speed advantage here and, if able to dictate the range as usual, he can rattle off his combinations before spinning out of the way of what is coming back. If Bivol is to win then it will surely be by decision, and that outcome is now only a 5/4 chance.

In the same way you can make a strong case for both men, there are clear concerns for them as well.

For Beterbiev, it is wear and tear. He has had to pull out of a few contests due to injury in recent years, most notably for this fight’s original date of June 1 due to surgery on a meniscus tear. Whether the knee has healed in time is the main worry for his backers, along with his age. That said, the 39-year-old put in one of the best performances of his career against Smith when last seen in January. The Liverpudlian was a former super middleweight champion who had only previously lost to Canelo (by decision), but Beterbiev dished out a systematic beating before his opponent wilted in the seventh session.

Bivol’s detractors point to his lack of power and size being an issue. With only 12 stoppages from 23 wins, his sixth-round victory against the overmatched Malik Zinad here in June was not only his first early night at world level, but also his first for six years. He isn’t big for the weight and while that aids his speed, being able to withstand the constant physical pressure from Beterbiev may be too much.

For me, the latter point is the bigger worry and I’m siding with Beterbiev to maintain his winning streak. At some point Bivol will have to fight fire with fire and I’m not sure he has the size or power to keep his man off for 12 rounds.

The overall quality of his opponents is also a concern, with not too many names on his record aside from Canelo. Lyndon Arthur and the aforementioned Zinad are not the best preparation for a contest of this magnitude, while he has also yet to prove he can overcome adversity, whereas Beterbiev has come through his ‘gut checks’ with flying colours.

It’s such a finely balanced contest and that’s what makes it so intriguing, but my feeling is that Beterbiev is a force that will not be stopped. He may be behind on the cards, but I believe he will get to his man eventually and maintain his perfect run of knockouts.

CLICK HERE to back Artur Beterbiev to win by stoppage with Sky Bet

Undercard preview

These Riyadh Season cards have become renowned for well-watched and high-quality undercards, so it was a little underwhelming when this one was announced.

Chris Eubank is 1/20 to successfully blow away the cobwebs in his tune-up against Kamil Szeremeta, and Olympic silver medallist Ben Whittaker is 1/16 to beat Liam Cameron. Jai Opetaia is also prohibitive odds (1/16) to prevail over Jack Massey, but there could be some value to be found in that contest.

Massey gets a surprise shot at the IBF cruiserweight king after claiming the European title with a good decision victory over Isaac Chamberlain in June and few would begrudge him this payday, but he looks to be in at the deep end here.

Opetaia (25-0) is the number one in this division thanks to a pair of unanimous decision victories over previous 200lb ruler Mairis Briedis. Sandwiched between those two wins are a pair of easy stoppages against overmatched British foes in Jordan Thompson (TJO4) and Ellis Zorro (KO1), and I think this could be a similar scenario.

Massey (22-2) went the distance in his two defeats to Richard Riakporhe and Joseph Parker, with the latter up at heavyweight, but Opetaia is an explosive puncher with bad intentions and he’s on a real roll right now.

That’s why the champion is just 1/4 to get the job done inside the distance, but that ending coming in the second half of fight is heavily favoured at 7/5 and I like the 5/2 about a first-half stoppage for the favourite.

Opetaia is quick out of the blocks and, as durable as Massey is, the underdog could be overwhelmed and outgunned by the early onslaught from the champion.

CLICK HERE to back Jai Opetaia to win in rounds 1-6 with Sky Bet

By far the best fight of the undercard is the much-anticipated rematch between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke.

I was lucky enough to be at London’s O2 Arena on Easter Sunday when the pair served up a domestic heavyweight classic, with Wardley keeping hold of his British and Commonwealth titles when a draw was announced after 12 thrilling rounds.

With his good amateur background, Clarke started well behind his jab and had success by keeping his shape better when they both tired later on. However, the power advantage was clearly with Wardley, and he had the bigger moments, most notably when dropping his man heavily at the end of the fifth round.

A draw seemed a fair result and, as in many rematches, this could come down to who has learned the most from the first encounter.

Despite being an Olympic bronze medallist, Clarke hadn’t mixed in as good a company as Wardley up to that point and coming through such a war of attrition is surely a plus for him. However, possibly not as much as Wardley, who had never been past seven rounds before having knocked out 16 of his previous 17 opponents.

Having graduated from the white-collar scene, the Ipswich native has improved at a rate of knots as a professional and I think he will have come on plenty again for that contest in the spring.

The champion is the 8/11 favourite (Clarke 7/5), and I can see him justifying those odds to get the win this time, possibly by stoppage at 9/5.